What color is #4B81AA?

#4B81AA is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(75, 129, 170), and in HSL hsl(206, 39%, 48%).

Is #4B81AA accessible as text?

On white, #4B81AA has a contrast ratio of 4.18:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.02:1 (passes). For text placed on #4B81AA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #4B81AA?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is cyan-600 (#0092B8).

What colors go well with #4B81AA?

#4B81AA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #AA744B. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #4B81AA below.

Is #4B81AA good for buttons?

#4B81AA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #4B81AA — white text only reaches 4.18:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #4B81AA the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #4B81AA is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#4B81AA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #4B81AA

Not just a swatch — here's how #4B81AA works with other colors. Named schemes with #4B81AA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #4B81AA Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDBBF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Steel Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #4B81AA Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Steel Blue keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #4B81AA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #75A5CC

Steel Blue is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Steel Blue.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #4B81AA Secondary #7F4438 Surface #E2DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233C

Steel Blue plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #4B81AA Secondary #96A8B7 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Steel Blue is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Steel Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #4B81AA actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 25/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 51/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 41/100

Moderate

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 57/100

Moderate

Faded, nostalgic quality — editorial, heritage and retro work.

Luxury 48/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 23/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 84/100

Very high

Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.

Surface fit 34/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 80/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #4B81AA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #4B81AA with

Verdigris Cerulean Copper Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Too mid-tone for a filled button — darken for the fill. AA Large

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with #141310 text at 4.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DDE5EC for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #4B61AA — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #4B81AA at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #4B81AA;
  --color-base-rgb: 75 129 170;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(58.3% 0.086 242.9);
  --color-50: #F4F8FB;
  --color-100: #E2ECF3;
  --color-200: #C6D8E6;
  --color-300: #9EBBD1;
  --color-400: #799DB9;
  --color-500: #587F9D;
  --color-600: #496479;
  --color-700: #384957;
  --color-800: #27323A;
  --color-900: #191F24;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F4F8FB',
    100: '#E2ECF3',
    200: '#C6D8E6',
    300: '#9EBBD1',
    400: '#799DB9',
    500: '#587F9D',
    600: '#496479',
    700: '#384957',
    800: '#27323A',
    900: '#191F24',
  },
}

$base: #4B81AA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FB;
$base-100: #E2ECF3;
$base-200: #C6D8E6;
$base-300: #9EBBD1;
$base-400: #799DB9;
$base-500: #587F9D;
$base-600: #496479;
$base-700: #384957;
$base-800: #27323A;
$base-900: #191F24;
$base-hover: #3C6788;
$base-subtle: #CBD9E3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#4B81AA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E2ECF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C6D8E6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9EBBD1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#799DB9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#587F9D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#496479",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#384957",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#27323A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#191F24",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #4B81AA

Color Lab

Pairs with #4B81AA

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export